Method of uniting pieces of leather



(No'ModeL) I 4 P. J. FITZGERALD.

METHOD OF UNITING PIECES OF LEATHER. No. 352,404. Patented Nov. 9, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT Trice.

PATRICK J. FITZGERALD, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF UNITING PIECES OF LEATHER.

SPECIFICATION" forming part of Letters Patent No. 352,404, dated November 9, 1886,

Application filed August 26, 1886. Serial No. 211,874.

To all whom itmay concern.-

Be it known that I, PATRICK J. FITZGERALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Haverhill, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods for Uniting Pieces of Leather; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention'relates to the utilization of scrap leather, so called; and it consists in a new and improved method for uniting pieces of leather, by which material hitherto cast one side as almost useless may be again united to form a piece of leather of a size from which may be cut heel-lifts, insoles, or other compo, nent parts of a boot or shoe which do not require the best material.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical section of two pieces of leather united by my method, while Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a piece of scrap leather with an oblique cut disposed therein to form a scarf-flap. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section of the same, and Fig. 4 shows the flap partially turned down. Fig. 5 is a sectional view representing the scarf-flap in position in readiness to be united with another and similarlyprepared piece.

Theessential feature in my method shown by the above drawings is to enable two pieces of leather to be united by a scarf-joint without materially lessening the size of either piece so united. This is especially important when it is desired to employ ,scrap leather, so 'called, and it will be fully demonstrated hereinafter that in the union of two pieces of leather by my method the superficial area and shape of said pieces after being so joined will remain the same as before, or as if they were butt-jointed.

In the annexed drawings, A represents a piece of scrap sole-leather which it is proposed to unite with some other similarly-prepared piece or pieces, B. Presuming that the edges to be united are square with the surface of the piece, the first step in my process is,

(No model.)

with a suitable knife or skiving-machine, to form along the edge or edges to be united an obliquely-disposed cut, a, while the obliquity of said out may vary, dependent upon whether a long or short scarfed joint is desired. This cut a commences upon the upper surface, I), of the piece A, extending parallel with the edge a, and dipsdownward and toward the latter surface, but does not reach therethrough. Thus a small strip of material, d, is left intact or uncut, and serves to unite with the piece A the scarf fiap G, which has been formed by the knife-cut a. Furthermore, it will be observed that the depth of the cut a should extend about half through the piece of leather, and in the further completion of my method the front edge, 0, is divided into two surfaces, 2 3, which are equal in width, and when the scarf flap O is turned down a continuous evenly beveled or scarfed edge is presented, as'shown' in Fig. 5, while the said surfaces 2 3 now abut and are brought in close contact with each other, the upper surface of the scarf-flap 0 being flush with the under surface of the piece A. Similarly the edge or edges of a piece, B, are prepared, and these beveled or scarfcd surfaces are, after being coated with some suitable adhesive compound, placed together in the manner shown in Fig. 1, after which they may be heavily pressed to bring the adjoining surfaces more closely in contact and effect a better joint.

In Fig. 1 the abutting surfaces 2 3 upon the individual pieces A B are not aligned, but slightly overlap to make the union of the pieces stronger. Now, the extent of the cut a into the leather determines the width of the scarf-flap O, and the scarf-joint is twice the width of said fiap. Thus, in lieu of diminishing the size of the leather pieces A B,'as is usual in a scarfed joint, by the amount-which the ends overlap, said pieces remain of the same size, and in this way scrap leather heretofore useless may be put together to form one piece of a size suitable for manufacturing purposes. A further advantage is obtained, since the stock is not reduced in thickness, while a smooth even surface is presented upon both sides of the pieces at their point of juncture.

I claima 1. The method of uniting scrap leather, which consists in the following steps: first squaring the ends of the scraps to be united,

next cutting obliquely into each scrap toward the squared end, so as to form a flap integral therewith, then folding each flap down as a continuation of the scrap to which it is united, and finally imposing the oblique face thus formed of one of the scraps on the other and fastening them together, substantially as set forth.

2. The method of uniting scrap leather, which consists in the following steps first squaring the ends of the scraps to be united, next cutting obliquely into each scrap toward the squared end, so as to form a flap integral therewith, then folding each flap down as a continuation of the scrap to which it is united,

then coating with cement the oblique faces 

